Project Ceribrum: Rise of Team Promethium
by masonxy
Summary: A terrorist group known only as Promethium attacked a Pokemon Trainer park in the heart of the Latos region. Hundreds of lives were lost, human and pokemon alike. Cobalt was only ten when he became one of the few survivors of the attack, protected by a stray Eevee with strange abilities. The only clue to finding Promethium lies in a file know as Project Ceribrum.
1. Prologue: Promethium

"Welcome to the Grand Opening of the Sanfernan Pokemon Battle Park! Take a moment to grab a brochure from any kiosk located in the visit…s center, because there is a lot to explore. This park has been designed for entire families to relax and have fun. Enjoy our themed amu…ment park with rides for all ages. Take the chance at catching a rare pokemon at our built in Safari Zone, located at the eastern section of the park. Dine in one of tw…ty of our five star restaurants. If you feel like extending your stay, check in to one of our finest hotels."

"And now, for our main attraction. Behold the three hundred story pokemon battle tower for trainers young and old. Compete with your pokemon and show your skills as a trainer on live television! Each victory will adv…nce you a level. This tower has been designed to host dozens of battles at once per level. Work your way to the very top! Literally! The roof top is a prem…ition of victory. Defeat a wave of twenty trainers in a row and gain the Champions badge, a symbol given to only the best of trainers."

"We at Poke-Tech Incorporated wish to thank you for your visit and hope you have a pleasant and eve…tfull time."

The ad with the very pretty announcer flickered on the cracked screen of the Kisok then went black. Her pleasant mood didn't match the destruction that surrounded.

Cobalt walked cautiously through the ruined visitor's center. It was dark, few lights were working, but he was surprised they were even working at all. He never thought he would ever return to this place.

**_The power grid is still active._**

In the dim light, he could see the scorch marks on the walls, bits of the concrete ceiling now laying on the floor. He flinched when his eye found a boney arm protruding, crushed underneath the slabs of rock and metal reinforcement. He tugged his blue cap over his jet black hair, keeping hiding his eyes from the horrifying images around him.

**_So much death…even after all these years, I still can't believe what happened._**

The lingering darkness made him uneasy, and his hand brushed over the pokeballs strapped to his belt. His fingers went over each of the six, firmly attached. Four of them were regular pokeballs, and he felt the iconic "U" of the fifth one. When he felt an energy radiating over his fingers, he stopped at the sixth.

**_I am ready…_**

"Welcome to the Grand Opening of…" The sudden sound made him jump. The kiosk was displaying the ad again

"Behold the three hundred story pokemon battle tower…"

Cobalt's hands curled into fists, the memories sinking in. He had though he was past this, but the tremor in his body defied him.

**_Cobalt?..._**

He grabbed a chunk of concrete and hurled it into the screen. The chunk bounced off the screen, leaving it even more cracked. But the ad kept playing.

"Each victory w..ll adv…"

Cobalt picked the chunk up again, this time smashing it into the screen himself. Over and over, he slammed the rock into the screen. More cracks appeared, the image displayed was nearly unrecognizable.

**_Cobalt! Stop!_**

With a final thrust, the rock went through the screen. The screen shattered, sparked, and then was silent.

His heart was beating in his ears, his teeth clenched so tightly that he risked biting through his own jaw.

**_Calm yourself! Breathe Cobalt!_**

He gasped for air, realizing that he had temporarily stopped breathing. He coughed violently, leaning over the machine, his head dizzy from reoccurring memories.

"You holding up?" a familiar voice called from behind him.

Amethyst walked up to him, her bright, purple hair reflecting the poor lighting. It contrasted to her black jacket and pants. Her Houndoom, Kuroi, was striding by her side, looking up at Cobalt with the same concern that she was.

"I'm fine, Amy," he said, lowering his gaze from her piercing, bright green eyes.

She put a hand on his shoulder.

"Hang in there, okay? We'll get him. Here, and today." She reassured him with a kiss on the cheek.

Cobalt felt blood rushing to his face, but he didn't react to it. While he wanted to return the affection, he needed to focus at the task at hand. All the work, research, and planning had led up to this. They had one chance to take Promethium down, once and for all.

"Let's keep moving," he said. The two of them stepped over and ducked under rubble from the trashed visitor's center, trying to find a path to the inside of the park. There was an occasional crunch under their feet, broken and cracked pokeballs littering the ground.

**_This must be the pokemon center area…So many trapped…_**

Cobalt nodded to himself.

When they reached the exit to the building, they found it blocked by heavy steel beams.

"Oh..that's just perfect," Cobalt sighed.

Amethyst inspected the steel, brushing dust off of it looking for something. She found a brand name molded into the metal.

"It's steel shipped in from the Kalos region. I hear they used this stuff to build the tower in Luminos city," she said. It didn't surprise either of them. This park was an expensive build.

"Can Kuroi melt the bars?" he asked.

**_Cobalt…_**

Amethyst shrugged.

"Not sure. This steel is supposed to be able to withstand super high temperatures. Kuroi might be able to, but it would take a few hours. You don't have any heavy lifters huh?"

Cobalt shook his head, to which Amethyst sighed.

"We're stuck then…Damn it!" she said. She punched a concrete pillar. "Damn it…"

**_Cobalt…I know you can hear me._**

Cobalt ignored the voice in his head, tending to Amethysts hand. He checked, and there were no broken bones, but he wrapped her freshly scraped skin with his white bandana. Amethyst wiped away a single tear running own her cheek. That punch had to have hurt.

**_Cobalt. I can help._**

"I can't…" Cobalt said.

"Huh?" Amethyst asked, but Cobalt turned away.

"I don't want you to see this…" he whispered, seemingly to himself.

**_I see through you. Or have you forgotten?_**

He hadn't.

"But Amy is…"

**_After all that's happened, you still don't trust her enough?_**

It wasn't that either. He trusted Amy with his life, and he had no doubt that she had the same level of trust in him. No, that wasn't the reason he wouldn't.

**_What is your reason?_**

Cobalt's throat tightened, his hand returning to his belt.

"I want to protect you," he said.

**_As do I. I can't do that cooped up in here though, can I?_**

He sighed, his eyes closed in deep thought.

"Cobalt, you're scaring me," Amy said. "What's going on with you?"

Cobalt gripped his sixth pokeball, power emanating from it, surrounding his entire being. He unclipped it from his belt, and pressed the button. The pokeball expanded in his hand, the energy expanding with it. The aura grew so massive that Amethyst could feel it emanating.

"What…what is that? Your sixth?" she asked. Kuroi was growling quietly by her side, half afraid, half ready to protect her.

"No. My first," he replied.

Cobalt looked down at the pokeball in his hand, the perfect sphere showing cracks, but not from age.

"Come on out Viola!" he cried, tossing the pokeball into the air. It opened, and a white energy flowed from inside. It materialized on the ground, taking the form of a four legged pokemon. She was light blue, with a scarf like tail. On her forehead nested a crown of ice. She stood on dark blue paws that formed frost where she stood.

"Cobalt… how long have you had a Glaceon?" Amethyst asked.

"I wanted to tell you…" he said. "Believe me, I trusted you, so understand that I had my reasons for not telling you."

He turned to Viola, who was taking in the destruction well. She stretched and arced her back, no doubt relieved to be out of the cooped up containment. She looked up at him, mirroring the determination that he felt.

"Are you ready old friend?" he asked.

**_Command me._**

Amethyst flinched.

"No…did she just…"

Cobalt pointed his finger in the direction of the door and steel beams.

"Viola! Use Ceribrium!"

Viola's eyes glowed bright purple, the flaps along the side of her head began waving as if in the wind. A great purple aura surrounded her as she channeled her psychic energies. Suddenly, a beam began to rise, levitating in the air. The others soon followed, floating like in space. With a swift tilt of her head, Viola sent the beams into the door, smashing the doors open. The clang of metal echoed as the beams fell to the ground outside.

She looked up at cobalt with a smile, and he couldn't help but feel one appearing on his face as well. Amethyst's face however was frozen in disbelief.

"How…It's not possible!" she said.

Cobalt tugged at her arm.

"Let's go," he urged.

"But… I don't…"

**_We can explain along the way. It's nice to finally meet you by the way._**

Amethyst nodded, not really certain what to say. She followed the two out, Kuroi right by herside.

Cobalt stared off into the distance. Past the broken down amusement park, the ruined Safari Zone, and god knows what else, he saw the remnants of the Pokemon Tower. Three hundred stories, reduced to a mere twenty in only a matter of minutes. His hand gripped again, but his anger had subsided.

"Your death will not be in vain..brother," he whispered to himself. "We'll get the man responsible…" He glanced at Amethyst, who nodded to show that she was ready.

The four of them set off, in search of the leader of Promethium.

The Pokemon Terrorist Organization.


	2. Chapter 1: Happier Times

**Hello to any who read! I plan to make this into a very long story. Tackling this project may require a lot of back story before I get to the very dark part of the story. If you, the reader, feel that the story at any point is going too slowly, feel free to let me know. I plan to have at least three chapters where Cobalt is a youth. Either way, I'm really excited about this story, and if you like it, let me know. Either way, I hope you enjoy :)**

Six Years Ago...

Ten year old Cobalt Winters sat in the passenger seat of his mother's car, peering out at the Pokemon Trainer park in the distance, his nose pressed firmly on the window. Tall walls hid the attractions from view, but even taller stood the three hundred story Pokemon tower. It was the grand opening, and already he could faintly see trainers on the very top, flickers of fire appearing now and again from an orange creature he could only assume was a Charizard.

They were almost to the front gate and Cobalt was as giddy as a kid could get. The seat belt kept him from hopping up and down on his seat, though he could feel his heart racing with excitement. He imagined what it would be like to have a battle in the tower, fighting the best of the best. The terrain in each level was supposed to be different, requiring strategies of the utmost swiftness. He saw himself with his own Pokemon, staring down the trainer opposite to him.

Of course, this was only a dream for now. Cobalt didn't have a Pokemon yet. Ten years old and no Pokemon. He was long overdue.

But that was the second reason he was so excited. The park had a built in Safari Zone, Pokemon capturing without having to battle. The television ad had said that the zone was so large that it could house over three hundred types of Pokemon at once. Over three hundred possible encounters with his first Pokemon. This would be a much different experience than accepting a Pokemon from the local professor. Cobalt didn't care which Pokemon he would encounter first. He was determined to catch the first one he saw. He pulled a PokeDex out of his pocket, and went through it for probably the twelfth time. He cycled through the stats and bio's of each of the potential Pokemon he could find in the park. He did this out of habit, even though he had already memorized the PokeDex word for word. It was a somewhat of a gift. The Dex had a few missing entries he hoped to complete on his own. He closed the Dex, and looked at the name engraved on the front.

"Rhodi Winters"

That was the third, and biggest reason for his excitement.

"We're here, honey," his mom said.

Cobalt looked up and stared at awe. They had just entered the inner wall, into the parking lot. Inside, Cobalt saw the twisting rails of roller coasters. He saw trees in the distance, forest terrain for the Safari Zone. At the front gate was an enormous line. A group of Bellossom and Maractus were putting on a show outside to entertain them. Thankfully, there were no Jigglypuffs in sight.

As soon as his mother parked the car, Cobalt flung the door open, nearly hitting the car next to him. He had the biggest smile on his face as he ran to get a spot in line quickly.

"Cobalt! Be careful and watch out for cars!" his mother called out as she unpacked the trunk.

The line of people looked so much larger close up. Families and friends were chatting, dozens of different Pokemon beside them. There was a lady carrying a Whismur, slowly lulling it to sleep. A man had brought a fully grown Arcanine, its height just taller than Cobalt himself. He was ecstatic when the man let him pet his fluffy mane. Further down the line, a janitor was asking a young girl to keep her Goomy in its ball, as it was creating a sticky mess everywhere it went. The girl was in tears and causing an enormous fuss. Her mother compensated, requesting for a stroller to be brought to them.

He kept going down a line that looked like it would run on forever. He surveyed the crowd as he went on. Something caught his eye that made him stop. It was a man with grey hair, wearing glasses. He was wearing summer clothing, just like the rest of the crowd. What made Cobalt stop was that the man was holding a strange briefcase. It wasn't a black leather case used for business. This one was made of steel, and had a digital combination lock along with a regular key lock. Stamped on the case was a large icon of "Poke-Tech" the company that had built the Trainer Park. Perhaps he was an employee? They had said there was a research lab located on the premises.

When Cobalt finally reached the end of the line, he was exhausted. The turn out was incredible, and he wondered if the Pokemon Park could hold so many people. His mother found him shortly, and the two waited could feel his body shaking with anticipation. Each step closer to the gate was nerve racking. He tried to calm himself by thinking about what Pokemon he would like the most. He didn't have a particularly favorite type, though Psychic and Ice caught his attention. Would there even be an Ice terrain in the Safari Zone? He didn't know how that would be possible.

"Mr. Winters?"

A voice broke him away from his thoughts. He looked up to a bearded man who had approached him and his mother. The man was not familiar to him, but he recognized the iconic red jacket.

"Oh wow! You're a...you're one of the.." he stuttered, unable to string words together.

The man had a hardy, deep laugh.

"I've heard a lot about you, young Winters. I'm here to escort you and your mother to the V.I.P line."

Cobalt was speechless. He hadn't known a reservation had been made for them. He nodded, and the two of them followed the man out of the line.

It didn't take them long before they reached a door. There was a sign above the door that said security, and it was guarded by two others. They wore the red jackets too, and were significantly younger than the man that had brought them.

"This must be him," one of them said.

"He has a familiar face, that's for sure," the other said smiling at him. She opened the door for them. "He's waiting anxiously inside for you."

Cobalt went in first. The room was like a lounge. Several couches lined the walls, all facing a television screen. Current tower battles were being broadcasted, several people in red jackets watched intently. One had a Pikachu sitting in her lap, its cheeks sparking.

One of the people on the couch turned to Cobalt and immediately stood up. He was tall, with jet black hair combed neatly and parted in the middle. He had a tiny scar on the base of his lip that Cobalt knew he had gotten from a stray base ball. His stray baseball to be exact.

The sixteen year old Pokemon Ranger walked up and stopped close to Cobalt.

"Hey bro. It's great to see you again," he said, smiling down on him.

Cobalt hadn't thought of how he would react on the day he reunited with his brother. His brother had enrolled in Pokemon Ranger Academy of the Latos Region. He spent a grueling year in study and training, and three fulfilling years in the field. He had made a name for himself among the Rangers, and was a well known public figure.

And now Cobalt was standing two feet in front of him, not knowing how to react. Different emotions ran through him, happiness for seeing him, sadness for not seeing him for so long, pride that he was his brother.

Cobalt gave his brother a tight hug.

"I missed you Rhodi!" he cried. The action had earned half a dozen "Aww"s from some of the Rangers.

Rhodi laughed, ruffling the hair of his younger brother.

"Jeez kid, you're embarrassing me," he said in a joking tone.

Cobalt immediately let go, shaking Rhodi's hand off.

"I'm not a kid anymore y'know. I'm ten years old!" he said, trying to sound grown up.

Rhodi smiled. "Of course. Sorry I missed that birthday. I really wanted to be there. Did you get the gift I sent you?"

Cobalt drew the PokeDex out of his pocket.

"I never go anywhere without it," he said with pride. The Dex had been priority mailed to his house on the day he turned ten. It was the best gift he had ever gotten.

"I know someone else who's missed ya," he said. He pulled a Pokeball from his clip and let his Pokemon out.

"Rai! Rai!" it cried out as it tackle hugged Cobalt.

"Speedy! You're a Raichu now?" Cobalt laughed. He remembered the days when Speedy was just a tiny Pichu, training itself by charging laptops and phone batteries. Speedy had since then doubled in size, heavy enough to knock him over.

"I can't wait to have a Pokemon all on my own," he said, patting Speedy on his head, its cheeks sparking.

"Then wait no more," Rhodi said, enthusiastically. "I'm taking you straight to the Safari Zone to help you get your first Pokemon." He quickly looked up to his mother. "Oh, I mean...If that's okay with you mom."

Their mother's smile was very bright. "You two have a lot to catch up on. I'll get everything to our hotel room. I'll call you when everything's settled Cobalt."

Rhodi nodded.

"Captain, would you escort my mother to the hotel please? Make sure she gets a good room. With a view if you can?"

The man with the beard laughed.

"Normally, I don't take requests like this. But for you Rhodes? I shall make an exception." He motioned for their mother to follow, and the two exited a door, bags in hand.

Rhodi watched his mother leave before turning back to Cobalt, who had grabbed a hand full of Pokemon Chow and feeding Speedy, like old times.

"So whadya say little brother? Ready for your first Pokemon?"

Cobalt dusted his hands free of Chow crumbs.

"Let's go!" he cried excitedly, running to the exit with Rhodi. Today was going to be the best day of his life.

* * *

He had thought that. It was every ten years old dream to have his first Pokemon. Catching one with a brother he looked up to couldn't have been more perfect.

Now it was only a memory. One he wish his mind wouldn't replay.

Cobalt and Amethyst were running along side their Pokemon through the park.

"Do you remember which way?" she asked him.

Cobalt focused his mind. He had been here once before, and once was all he needed.

"We need to make a left at the Dragonaire Roller Coaster, past the Whack-a-Diglett, and then down a set of escalators."

Amethyst groaned.

"They're probably just steps now... Are you sure that the Safari Zone is the quickest way to the Labs?"

**_They are. I am sure._**

Amethyst looked down at Viola running beside Cobalt.

"And you are going to explain this at some point, yes?"

Cobalt grunted, and she took it as a yes.

The four of them made it to the entrance of the Safari Zone. They stood outside, taking a moment to catch their breaths. Cobalt wondered what it would be like inside. How many Pokemon managed to escape? How many were still sheltered inside for all these years? He hated to think of the suffering Pokemon, no doubt starving inside.

Amethyst noticed his sadness, and jabbed him lightly in the shoulder.

"I remember this place," she said, trying to keep his mind away from the depressing. She leaned in closer to Cobalt's warmth as the night wind began to pick up. "It's hard having a happy memory trapped in a tragic one. Do you remember?"

Cobalt wrapped an arm around a shivering Amethyst, holding her close.

"Yeah, I remember..." he said, a sad smile running across his face.


	3. Chapter 2: Slow progress

**Hello to any who read! Thank you for giving this story a chance! Please let me know what you think of this chapter. It's a bit character heavy, but this is only the beginning. I hope that this chapter is still entertaining. Again, let me know what you think, and as always I hope you enjoy :)**

* * *

As Cobalt had expected, the Safari Zone was had an enormous line of people. Most were trainers, hoping to add a new Pokemon to their team. He saw a few people running through their PokeDex, no doubt hoping to fill in a few more pages. He stood in line with Rhodi who talked about his adventures in training as and being a Pokemon Ranger. Cobalt listened intently to every story, while catching Rhodi up to what he had missed at home.

"Surely mom sent you to Professor Redwood after you graduated? I heard you made the Honor Roll list," Rhodi said.

Cobalt shrugged.

"The professor hasn't been in his lab for months. Some kind of research project."

"Ah. I see."

He noticed that many people were turning their heads towards them.

General whispers, "Wow, that's a Ranger! What's he doing here?" were circulating amongst the crowd. Many turned to look at Cobalt, "He's being escorted by a Ranger? Is he like royalty or something?" the whisper kept going. Though embarrassing, he couldn't help but stand tall with pride.

"So, knowing you, I'm sure you've looked up how the Safari Zone works, right?" Rhodi asked.

Cobalt nodded. He had done research on Safari Zones before. Usually, a trainer was allowed in on his own, armed with nothing more than a bag of bait and a set of Safari balls. Trainers had a set amount of time to search for Pokemon, otherwise someone could be in there forever.

He was surprised to see trainers his age in line paired up with older trainers as they walked in. An announcement went over the intercom.

"This is an announcement from Poke-Tech to remind you that new trainers must be paired with experienced trainers before entering the Safari Zone. Please enjoy yourself, and remember: safety comes first above all else."

Cobalt looked up to his brother.

"I've never read about that policy."

"It's a new one, specific to this place," Rhodi replied. "This is the largest Safari Zone ever built in the Latos region. Heck, maybe even the world. A Safari Zone has never had so many different species of Pokemon in one place before, so there are a few precautions that they have created."

Cobalt nodded, understanding. It made sense to require a bit of safety. Pokemon were spread out through the world, living in different environments. This Safari Zone, while enormous, was a compact place with Pokemon from all regions. There was no telling how the Pokemon would react to their new home with unfamiliar faces.

"Hey, Rhodi. If this place is as big as I think it is, how are we going to get to see it all before the time runs out?"

Rhodi smiled. "You'll just have to wait and see," Before Cobalt could argue, Rhodi added, "It wouldn't be fair for me to spoil it for you."

Though the line was long, it moved quickly. Soon, they were in the building part of the facility. Trainers were being allowed in as groups, checking in with the front desk to check if the younger trainer's partners was a certified, or at least experienced, trainer. Most went through, a few grumbling as they walked past them, rejected.

The two of them were so close, that Cobalt could see the front desks clearly. Workers was checking I.D's and opening different sliding metal gates to let people in. There were seven gates, but he couldn't see where they went.

"Hey, Rhodi. Where does that gate lead?"

Cobalt pointed at a gate to the far right of the facility. It looked pretty much just like the others. The only difference was that the attendants weren't allowing visitors in. He would have assumed it was out of order if not for the Rangers standing guard in front of it.

"Hm…" Rhodi said. "I don't think I'm allowed to tell you. Ranger business y'know?"

"Oh." Cobalt said, and didn't press the matter. If it concerned the Rangers, he knew better than to ask too many questions.

The line moved up.

"Our group is next, Cobalt," Rhodi said.

Excitement welled up in Cobalt once again as he went over the concept of the Safari Zone.

The idea, he figured, was to try and connect with the Pokemon on a friendly level. That's what the bait was for, he thought. Of course, some trainers resorted to throwing rocks at the Pokemon to get their attention that way. He guessed the strategy was to enrage the Pokemon so that their escape rate was lowered. He hoped he wouldn't have to resort to that.

There was a sudden ringing in Rhodi's pocket, and he pulled out his PokeGear. Cobalt saw the reaction on his face when he checked the caller I.D., and it didn't look good. Rhodi answered the call.

"Hey, what's up Em?"

It was Rhodi's partner. He had spoken of her often in emails Cobalt received from him. Emerald Summers was a top ranking Ranger just like Rhodi was. They made a great team together, her skills as a trainer complimenting Rhodi's tact.

Rhodi ran a hand through his hair.

"This can't wait? I told you today I would be spending it with my family…"

Silence, a few nods.

"I see…" he said glumly. "Give me a minute to make arrangements. Thanks."

He hung up, his sigh told Cobalt the story. Rhodi sped dialed someone on his PokeGear.

"Hey rookie, I need you at the Safari Zone pronto. Hurry, but don't fall off alright?"

He hung up again and turned to his brother.

"Hey, bro. I am really sorry but… something came up," he said.

Cobalt nodded sadly. His excitement was replaced by sorrow. Finally, after so long, he was hanging out with his brother for the first time in years. And now he was being taken away, again. The life of a Ranger kept him busy.

"I understand…" Cobalt said, trying to hide his emotions.

Rhodi grabbed him by the shoulders.

"Thanks buddy. I'll make it up to you somehow okay? But just so you're not too disappointed, I've called in someone to be your escort so you can still get your Pokemon today."

Cobalt suddenly heard the sounds of people screaming behind him. He turned to see people jumping out of the way of something coming towards him and Rhodi.

"Ah, and here she comes now."

A Doduo came into view, charging down the line, chirping excitedly. Children were pulled to one side by their parents, away from the rampaging beast.

"Stop Mittsu! Stop!" cried the girl on top of the creature. The Doduo came to a complete stop, sending the girl flying off. She landed on her stomach right in front of Cobalt and Rhodi. There was murmur amongst the crowd, inquiring if she was okay.

The girl twitched on the ground a few seconds, her long purple hair going everywhere. When the shock subsided, the girl suddenly bolted up right.

"Reporting for duty, Sir!" she said, brushing her hair back and out of her face. Her Doduo came running over, rubbing up against her apologetically. Despite the minor injuries it had caused her, the girl patted both its heads before returning it to its ball.

"There's been an emergency and…" Rhodi began.

"What's happened? Where are we going? Point the way and tell me who to hit!" the girl interrupted. She was bouncing with energy on her tiptoes. Cobalt saw fire burning in her bright green eyes, and it was intimidating.

"Calm yourself," Rhodi said sternly, and the girl immediately stopped moving and speaking. "I have to investigate an incident with Em. I need you to…"

"I'll shadow you! I'll use trees and the terrain to hide myself. I won't act until you absolutely need my…"

"Amy!" Rhodi yelled, and she quickly shut up.

"I need you to escort him through the Safari Zone," Rhodi said pointing at Cobalt. "It's his first time here, and he's attempting to catch his first Pokemon."

The girl looked over at Cobalt. He felt her eyes piercing into his very being, and fought the urge to hide behind Rhodi like a frightened child. She couldn't be any older than he was, but she wore the jacket of a Ranger. She had a Capture Styler attached to her belt as opposed to a Fine Styler watch that his brother wore. Cobalt made the assumption that she was a new member.

The girl turned back to Rhodi, her enthusiastic expression soured.

"You want me to babysit? When you told me to get here in a hurry I thought…" She pouted, crossing her arms. "When are you ever going to let me do something important? I'm not a child!"

_You're certainly acting like one,_ Cobalt thought.

Rhodi was unmoved by her words. "This is very important. You'll be escorting my Mr. Winters through his first wild Pokemon encounter."

"Winters? But I thought your name…" She turned to Cobalt, to Rhodi, and back to Cobalt again, like the gears in her head were just beginning to turn.

She quickly stuck gloved hand towards him.

"Amethyst Autumn. Pokemon Ranger. Please forgive my previous comment." Though her cheeks were growing pink, her face retained a serious nature.

"C…Cobalt," he said, slowly shaking her hand. Her grip was firm, but not bone crushing.

There was a jingle ringing over the intercom, indicating that the next group was being let in.

"Alright, I gotta go. Amy, take care of Cobalt. Cobalt, I'll meet you and mom for dinner, kay?" he ruffled both their head.

"Hey!" they both cried out.

Laughing, Rhodi left. Cobalt saw him run to the guarded gate. Naturally, they let him in. Cobalt's eyes were glued to that door as it opened. Rhodi stepped into a lift, and slowly the gate closed again.

He felt a light jab at his shoulder.

"So, are we going or what?" Amethyst asked. Without waiting for a response, she pulled him along with the line. Cobalt stumbled, trying to keep up with her. She flashed her I.D. to the man at the desk and he let them in through the gate.

* * *

Beyond the gate was a great green landscape. Tall, green grass swayed blissfully in the breeze under the blue sky. The spot they were at was an open plain. Tall trees surrounded them like a small forest, the faint scent of pine needles wafted in the air. Cobalt gazed in awe at the manmade forest, wondering how much Synthesis it had taken to grow this in such a short period of time.

There was a man wearing a Safari hat waiting for their group. He was standing next to two enormous boxes, probably containing the supplies.

"Welcome to the Safari Zone!" he called out. Excited cheers erupted in the crowd.

The man went over the rules of the zone, rules Cobalt already knew, but he listened intently. He heard Amethyst yawning beside him, checking the time on her watch.

The man went over the bait, the Pokeballs, and safety regulations. He handed every pair a set of twenty Safari Balls and a bag of dried food.

"Finally…" he said. "The newest addition to the Safari Zone industry." He opened the box on his left and pulled out two things. One looked like a fancy watch that was two times too big. The thing had a touch screen about five by eight cm. The other object was a simple metal wristband with an LED light in it.

He held up the watch looking one. "This device will give you quick teleportation access to several areas of our Zone. Areas are listed on the screen. Simply tap the area you want to go and you will be transferred to a place in that zone."

So, that was how they did it. This would make searching for Pokemon a lot less time consuming. He felt a smile across his face. No wonder Rhodi hadn't wanted to spoil it for him.

"The experienced Trainers will be in charge of the destination, and these wrist bands will be given to the partner. This ensures that when the leader picks a place, their partner will be teleported along with them."

He began handing out the devices. Amethyst put on the teleporter, which clicked and tightened on her arm. Cobalt put the less interesting bracelet on as well.

"That's all I have to say, so please! Enjoy and have a good time!" he tapped his screen and he suddenly disappeared in a flash of light. The "oohs" and "ahhs" from the crowd were priceless.

Cobalt clipped the bags of Safari Balls and Bait to his belt. People were already setting their destinations and teleporting away.

"I've thought about it for a bit, and I want to go and try my luck in the swamp area," he said to Amethyst.

"What?! Forget it!" she replied.

"Huh?"

"I'm in charge," she said, pointing to the device on her arm. "And I say we won't go to the swamp."

_Great…_ Cobalt sighed.

Here was his first real adventure, his first journey into the Pokemon world. And he was stuck with this girl.

"Fine..Let's head for the desert then."

"Nope, don't think so."

"Wetlands."

"I didn't bring boots."

"The Mountain Region?"

"Way too cold."

"The caves…"

"Zubats…yech!"

Cobalt became frustrated.

"I thought my brother asked you to help me," he said angrily.

"He ordered me to keep you safe, and that's what I'm doing." Then she added, "I may have to follow his command, but I don't have to like it."

"Trust me, the feeling is mutual…" Cobalt muttered. "Is there any place that you _will_ go?"

Amethyst went down the list of terrains and tapped the screen.

Cobalt felt a sensation in his chest, as he was surrounded by white light briefly, blinding him. When the light faded, he found himself standing in the middle of a meadow.

_Neat,_ he thought.

This was clearly a meadow terrain. Patches of tall grass were scarce. The ground was covered in layers of short, wild grass and patches of flowers. Cobalt rolled his eyes. He figured this was the only place she would allow him.

Whatever.

He headed for the tall grass patches. The day had not gone the way he had planned, but either way, his Pokemon Journey was finally about to start.


	4. Chapter 3: Danger awaits

As the two of the traversed through the Safari Zone, the meadow grasses began to thicken, the terrain becoming more like a grassland. At first Cobalt feared that his chaperone would pull him back into the calm meadow zone, but she seemed to be alright with this area. For now.

He walked through the tall grass, keeping an eye and ear out for any Pokemon that may have be lingering nearby. It had been only ten minutes in their forty minute search, and Cobalt hadn't found a trace of any yet. Still, it was a big area and he was hopeful nonetheless.

They passed by a few patches of wild berry bushes. The fresh, ripe fruit looked enticing.

He heard a grumbling sound from behind him, and he quickly turned to the noise. He was disappointed when it turned out to just be Amethyst, her eyes glued to the berries, her hands clutched around her stomach. Cobalt fought the urge to laugh.

"Hey!" she snapped. "I had to abandon my lunch to come here, y'know?" She looked around at the bushes, and went for bush with hanging red berries.

Cobalt quickly grabbed her arm.

"Woah! What do you think you're doing?!" Cobalt half yelled.

"Leave me alone! I need something to eat," her growling stomach concurred, and her cheeks pinkened.

"If you want a snack, then you don't want those berries,"

"What? Why not?"

Cobalt took a better look, and confirmed that the berries were fat and round, covered in points.

"Because you'll burn your tongue. Trust me."

Without waiting for a response, he dragged her along with him, surveying the various berry bushes. The fact that Amethyst almost willingly bit into a Tamato Berry made him wonder how she ever made it as a Ranger. Rhodi surely had better rookies to choose from to be a mentor to. What on earth did he see in her?

* * *

"_Hey, what's up Em?"_

"_Rhodi, there's been a situation. If you're already at the Safari Zone, then head for the lab, quickly!"_

_"This can't wait? I told you today I would be spending it with my family…"_

"_It's Promethium."_

"…"

"_Rhodi?"_

"_I see…"_

"_I'm sorry…You know I wouldn't pull you away from Cobalt unless it was this important."_

"_Give me a minute to make arrangements."_

"_Of course."_

"_Thanks…"_

When Rhodi stepped out of the elevator, he already knew something was wrong. He had traveled a hundred meters underground into the Poke-Tech Laboratory, one of four built beneath the Pokemon Park. As a Ranger, he had been brought down to one of them, and given a full tour of the tunnels and facilities. The pure white walls reflected the bright fluorescent ceiling bulbs, illuminating the entire room.

Now, the bright lights were out, replaced by a dark room lit by emergency red lights. He heard sparking in the distance, which couldn't be a good sign.

"Speedy! Rhyperior!" he shouted, tossing his Pokemon out.

Speedy came out, landing lightly on his feet. Rhyperior stumbled out, shaking the ground as he landed on his stomach, cracking the white floor tiling. He stood quickly, letting out an intimidating roar to make up for his lack of elegance.

"Speedy, I need you to scout a bit. I'm expecting a few electrical disturbances, and I'll need you to find them alright? See if you can find anyone alive down here." He gave his eager Pokemon a pat on the head. "And if you get into any trouble, come right back to me, got it?"

"Rai!" Speedy said, and he scampered through the tunnel systems.

Rhodi looked up to Rhyperior.

"I need you to stick by me, defend me against the electric discharges. There might be a water leak somewhere. Think you can handle it?"

Rhyperior smashed a fist into his other open hand, showing he was ready for anything. In his massive hand, he picked Rhodi up and set him on his arm, like a Chatot taking rest on a tree branch.

"Not quite what I had in mind, but I appreciate the ride," he said.

Rhyperior nodded and took his massive, slow steps down the laboratory corridors.

The tunnel opened up into a central hub, a massive, but empty room meant to be the check in gates to the main lab facilities. This lab in particular specialized in Pokemon study, which was why it was built right below the Safari Zone. The gates in the hub led to different labs depending on what sub category the scientists specialized in. Rhodi glanced at a few of the plaques above the various doors. Poke-genes, Poke-breeding, Pokemon Wildlife Observatory, and so on.

Rhodi had been too busy looking up at the plaques. When he glanced down, his heart stopped. In the dim red light, he saw the unmistakable shadows of dead bodies lying limp on the floor, corpses slumped over desks, and half burnt.

"Oh god…" Rhodi felt like he was going to throw up.

Never had he ever seen so much death, the mark of Team Promethium. Rocket, Galactic, Plasma; they were child's play compared to this. Never before had a group of Pokemon criminals resorted to flat out murder to accomplish their goals. They weren't simply thieves or cultists, they were terrorists.

His PokeGear rang and Rhodi pulled out the Bluetooth earpiece from a slot built into the device. He secured it tightly to his ear and pressed the PokeBall shaped button in the middle.

"Em, please tell me you're not seeing what I'm seeing…"

He heard retching on the other end, and he knew.

"Rhodi..." Emera started, trying to get a hold of herself. "Rhodi, the lab workers…They're all dead. What the hell is this.."

Rhodi didn't have to answer. They both knew who was behind this.

"Em, which Lab are you going through?" Rhodi asked, keeping a calm demeanor, though his voice shook.

"The Technology Department, PokeBall and Dex research," she said.

"Any idea what they were doing down there?"

"Other than murdering everyone in sight?" He heard Em taking a deep breath, her voice choking up like he was crying. "They seemed to hit the HM/TM sub labs really hard. A lot of the disc cases are empty, so they've stolen at least half a dozen prototype moves."

So they came for the disks?

"Do you know how they got in?" Rhodi asked.

"No. Shade and I have searched this place thoroughly. There is no other point of entry other than the elevator shafts."

Shade was Emera's Gengar. If the two of them couldn't find an alternate entrance, then there were none. How the hell did they get in then?

"Have you found anything yet?" Emera asked.

"I just got in myself. So far I…"

A distant "Rai!" caught his attention. Speedy came running from the corridor marked "Poke-Genics".

"Rai! Chu chu!" he cried, waving at Rhodi. He had found something.

"Emera, I have a lead. I'll meet you on the surface when I've finished. For now, get out of there and report to the captain. Tell him to evacuate the park,"

"Okay…just…" Emera said. "Be careful, okay? I really don't want to have to add you to the death toll…"

Rhodi smiled. "I love you too…" he said, directing Rhyperior to follow Speedy. As his buddy trudged through to the sub lab, he reminded himself that Cobalt could be just above him at this very moment. He hoped he was doing alright.

* * *

Cobalt hiked up a tiny hill, Amethyst following behind with an armful of freshly picked sweet Bluk and juicy Mago berries. She was consuming them, making happy little hums as she ate. In the short time that he had known Amethyst, she had kept a straight, serious face. Sometimes annoyed. So, now, seeing her with a smile on her face, Cobalt wasn't sure if it was cute, or disturbing.

It was twenty minutes in, and he hadn't seen a single Pokemon yet. The situation was going from unusual, to annoyingly unusual. Safari Zones were usually full with Pokemon running around so the rate of running into one should have been much higher than what he was experiencing right now. Had something gone wrong?

Amethyst wiped her sticky hands on a handkerchief and returned it to her back pocket.

"I didn't take you for the kind of guy who likes to garden," she said, her voice suddenly less hostile towards him.

"My mother is," Cobalt replied. "She taught me a few things when I was little."

"A few things? You went over at least two dozen different berries back there. How Oran and Persim have essentially no real unique taste to them, or how Rawst can be used to cure burns…and that other for Frostbite?"

"Aspear," he answered, his head still swiveling around, surveying for movement. "And I learned quickly. I have a pretty good memory."

"Oh really?" Amethyst said.

Cobalt groaned when he heard that. Why had he said that? Anyone he had ever told always did the exact same thing. It grew to become an annoying gift.

"My last name?" she asked.

"Autumn," he sighed.

"Our gate number?"

"7A."

"Members of our Safari group?"

Cobalt sighed louder as he went over a list of the participants. An older gentleman with grey hair and a cane, with a little girl with brown pigtails wearing a red dress. A boy in his teens with his green cap worn backwards with his girlfriend with the red hair and long skirt. The youngster who wouldn't keep quiet about his shorts to his older sister who looked like she was regretting bringing him. Cobalt went over them all in greater detail.

"Wow…this is fun," Amethyst said, and Cobalt rolled his eyes. She was enjoying testing him.

"Pokemon that I came in on. Species and name I gave it."

"It was a Doduo. You called it Mittsu." Cobalt grinned and gave her a sideways glance.

"As I recall in great detail, a certain purple haired Ranger riding on it, face planted the ground in front of an entire crowd."

Her teasing smile faded, replaced by a frown.

"Okay, stop remembering now…" She looked away from him.

Cobalt almost started laughing when a rustling in the tall grass caught his attention.

"Aha!" he whispered loudly. "Finally."

He walked carefully towards where he saw the weeds turning. At first, whatever it was moved slowly. Suddenly, it burst out of the patch in the opposite direction of the two.

"After it!" Cobalt said excited as he chased after the Pokemon.

It slithered quickly away from them. Though hard to see, the snakelike creature was almost completely black, with golden hexagon on its back. Cobalt could see a sharp red tail waiving around.

"It's a Seviper!" he cried.

The chase was brief. The Seviper was too quick for them, zigzagging around the terrain, making sharp turns over rocks and through bushes. Soon they had lost the Pokemon in another patch of tall grass.

"Shoot!" Cobalt said. He thought he had it. He was bummed, but the exhilaration of going after his first Pokemon had adrenaline running through him. Perhaps he had been too excited though. He had chased after the thing without a plan to capture it.

"That's too bad," Amethyst said, looking around to see if she could find where it went. "Dark types are difficult to capture."

She received a funny look from Cobalt.

"What?" she asked.

"You're joking right?" he said seriously.

"Huh?"

"Seviper…is Poison type…" he said.

"Of course! That's what I meant!" she yelled.

Cobalt was still staring at her in disbelief.

"How on earth did you become a Ranger…" he sighed.

"Hey, I'm not the one who can't catch a Pokemon," she said angrily.

The hostility between them had returned. Cobalt turned and kept going, not bothering to respond. The path to becoming a Ranger was a serious one. How did she manage to graduate from the Ranger academy if she missed something as simple as a Pokemon type?

There was a faint hissing sound off in the distance, and hope returned to him. He followed the sound across the grasslands.

"Sevipe!"

"Vipe, Vipe!"

"Sssev."

It sounded like a hoard, a greater chance at capturing something. At the same time, he knew the risk would be greater.

He came across a crater like valley, and he ducked down into the tall grass to conceal himself this time. He moved carefully to the edge of the valley and looked down.

There were a swarm of Seviper huddled around in the center of the basin, hissing like mad. There sizes varied, some better trained than others. Most of the smaller ones were gathered on the outside, while the bigger ones were right in the center of the swarm. He smiled, his catch rate had just gone up, and he went for his bag of bait. He tossed a piece towards the hoard, and waited to attract attention. It landed a meter behind one of them. The Seviper looked over at the bait, but ignored it, keeping its attention towards where the hoard had centered.

Cobalt went for his bait again, but stopped when he peered closer at the hoard. They were huddled around something; that, he knew already. But what would get a Sevipers attention like that?

"Sev! Sev!"

"Seviaper! Vipe!"

"Z…Zan…"

Cobalt's eyes widened, and he turned to Amethyst.

"Something's not right," he told her.

She nodded in agreement, so she at least knew enough to figure out what was going. Her hand went straight for her Capture Styler.

Before either of them could react, there was a loud shout from the middle of the swarm.

"Zan…Zang!"

Like an explosion, the horde of Seviper were struck in different directions by the wild Zangoose's X-Scissor. The smaller of the Seviper scurried away in fear, allowing the Zangoose to try and escape. The bigger ones, however, shook off the attack and began their chase.

The Zangoose only managed to stagger a few steps before collapsing from exhaustion, vulnerable to the approaching predators. They were closing in fast.

Cobalt bolted from the grass and slid down the valley.

"Cobalt wait!" Amethyst called out, but it was too late.

Cobalt fell from his feet and tumbled down the valley. He rolled a bit and landed on his back. He was cut up and bruised but he ignored the pain, grabbing a handful of rocks. His only thought right now was to get the Sevipers away from the Zangoose.

"Hey!" he called out. When they paid him no attention, he threw a rock in their general direction. It shot out of his hand like a bullet into the head of the largest snake, smacking it with a loud thud. It reeled in shock, rather than pain, as its attention became fixed on Cobalt.

"Vipe!" it cried, and the smaller ones turned away from their prey and faced Cobalt as well. He sighed with relief. He had gotten the attention of the Sevipers away from the Zangoose.

…._Now what, _he suddenly realized.

The swarm screamed in unison as they started their charge towards him. He stood paralyzed as the snakes slithered quickly towards him. Their red tails suddenly glowing bright, their eyes glaring menacing into his. He couldn't breathe and though he couldn't move, he felt his body shaking with fear.

"Cobalt!" Amethyst's voice shook him free and he ran for his life.


End file.
